Blame it on the rain
by myrtillez
Summary: Castle and Beckett are out in Central Park  on a case  when it starts to rain...
1. Chapter 1

**It has been pouring rain for the past week here in France and I decided to turn my frustration with the rain into a Castle FF.**

**This is going to be a two-chapter OS. Not meant to be any longer. **

**Comments, as always, are very much appreciated :)**

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**BLAME IT ON THE RAIN**

**Chapter 1**

"Well that was a bloody waste of time", declared Beckett as she and Castle were heading back out of Central Park.

Castle, his hands shoved in his pockets kicked a small stone in front of him. Then he looked up at the sky

"Is it me or has it gotten way darker in just a few minutes?"

Beckett looked up as well and just replied with an absent "Hmmm".

"It feels like it's going to rain."

And sure enough, a couple of minutes later he felt a few drops of rain on his hair, then a few more and then it was down right raining.

He was about to start running but he turned to his partner first to see if she was following him. But Beckett wasn't right by his side anymore. He turned around and saw that she had stopped walking and was standing perfectly still under the rain.

Her eyes were shut, her head only slightly tilted up, her arms hanging loosely down her body.

He wanted to call out to her, make her follow him but something stopped the words from coming out.

He observed her instead. She looked calm, peaceful with a hint of amusement. As far as he could recall he'd never seen her face so relaxed. Oh he'd seen her laugh and smile and be happy plenty of times – and he had loved every second of it – but he had never seen her so quiet, so carefree, so innocent really.

He wasn't sure he recognized the woman standing there. It was like the rain had washed away the Beckett he knew and had put Katherine in her place.

The sky was dark now and the rain was pouring down, soaking them both.

Castle was cold, the rain was relentless. He could see Beckett's body start to shiver.

"You're cold."

She was indeed. But she didn't care. She couldn't feel it.

Castle took a step forward to be in front of her. He took his long winter coat off and placed it over her shoulders. It was a dumb thing to do, he knew it. Not only his coat was already soaked and therefore useless and but now he was standing under the rain in just a polo shirt. But he didn't care.

Beckett grasped the sides of the coat and a small smile crept over her lips. She opened her eyes to be faced with deep blue eyes staring at her with much tenderness and a hint of puzzlement.  
They stood there in silence, only the sound of the rain falling hard on the grass beneath their feet surrounding them. Even the sounds of the city seemed to have disappeared, drowned by the rain.

Kate's damp hair stuck to her face, and Castle stared at a particular strand that was stuck across her cheek, reaching the corner of her mouth until he couldn't resist anymore and he reached for it.

Her cheek flinched at his touch but she didn't move to stop him. With a gentle finger he pushed the strand back into its place, behind her ear. He let his finger linger there, on her jawline, wanting so badly to let it draw a trail back to her mouth. But he stopped himself and let his hand fall back to his side.

Her eyes followed his hand back down and remained there, fascinated by the image of raindrops falling on the grass.

He wondered what had gotten into her. What had brought on this sudden change. He knew it had to do with the rain, quite obviously, but he wondered what the story behind it was. The rain seemed soothing to the detective, like she was in her happy place and she wouldn't come out of it... No matter that she was soaked to the bone and shivering. She was still smiling, a small, almost invisible smile. He really did love her smile.

As he was about to move, feeling his limbs going completely numb under the cold rain, she spoke. It sounded more like a whisper to him, barely audible with the noise surrounding them, but he heard it nonetheless.

"I really like your books Rick".

Although, when he heard it, he wasn't sure he heard it right. It felt so out of character and like it came out of nowhere.

He wasn't sure what to respond to that. He wasn't sure she expected a reply. Or that she expected to be heard at all.

Then she lifted her green eyes to meet his blue and saw him staring at her.

He knew he probably shouldn't stare. That she didn't like it. That he could lose a limb, possibly an eye in fact. But he also couldn't help it. The woman standing in front of him was captivating, mesmerizing... When he looked into her jade eyes he forgot everything, who they were, where they were, the rain, the cold... it was all forgotten, replaced only by the warmth he felt when he looked at her, replaced by the love; the love of a writer for his muse.

"Is that how you see us?"

This time he was sure he heard right. But he wasn't sure what it meant. Or how to respond, again.

Her eyes were still set on him, unblinking. But he wasn't sure what he was seeing in them. He blamed the rain for his blurred vision. He cursed the rain in fact for his blurred vision. The smile though, was definitely gone. Her voice hadn't sounded mean but... there was definitely an edge to it. He couldn't tell if she was simply asking a question or criticizing him in a veiled manner like she always did. He knew for a fact Beckett didn't like his books much... or at least he thought he knew that, up until a few seconds ago. But he definitely knew she was annoyed at the resemblance between the characters and themselves; although he had assured her countless times they were fictional characters.  
So, he replied the same way he usually did, hoping to reassure her, praying it was the right answer.

"They're just characters in a book Kate," he whispered gently.

He might as well have shot her in the heart at that moment.

Instantly he knew it was the wrong answer – although he didn't understand why.  
He saw the sudden change in her eyes, a veil came over them and everything in them disappeared. Her whole face turned to an unreadable stone. Blank. He knew that face, he'd seen it countless times. Kate was definitely gone, Beckett was back.

He tried to think of something to say or do to make it better, he wasn't ready to lose Kate just yet, he liked Kate. But it was too late.

"We should go. We're gonna get wet."

She started off, turning her back to him and walking away. He looked at her disappearing form.

"We're already wet," he added more to himself than anyone else before catching up to her.

When they got to the car, she reached into her pockets, looking for her keys but found gloves that didn't belong to her in their place. That's when she realized she was still wearing his coat.

She shivered. In all honesty she couldn't tell if it really was from the cold. She took it off, missing its added warmth immediately. She reached for her keys in her own pocket and when she finally opened the door she tossed the long coat in the back of the car where hers soon joined it with a glorious splash.

Once they were both in the car, she quickly turned the ignition on and the heat way up. Castle thankfully put both his hands on the small heater while she started driving, forcing her trembling hands to stay still around the wheel.

The rain hadn't slowed down in the least and it made her drive really slow through the streets of New-York. They drove in silence, the sound of rain hitting the body of her car the only ambient noise.

The wheels were turning fast in Castle's head. He tried to understand the brutal change in her behaviour. He knew it had to do with his answer but he couldn't understand why. A large part of him started thinking maybe she liked the idea of them being Nikki and James but another part of him dismissed the idea, realizing it was crazy and impossible. But then why the question?  
And her comment about the books... Surely he had heard that right. But maybe she was talking about his books in general. He knew she liked his writing after all. Why she'd decided to say that at this particular moment however was a mystery.

As he observed her while she drove he realized he missed the woman from the park already. He liked Beckett, a lot in fact. He found her fascinating. But from the very few glimpses he had had in the past of Kate he knew he liked that woman even more. Kate Beckett was a complex, multi-faceted woman. She could be so strong and confident one moment and fragile and vulnerable the next - although not a lot of people got to see that side of her. He felt privileged he had.

"I'm glad you liked them," he tried, hoping to get back to the conversation and get it right this time.

He failed.  
She remained silent, her eyes on the road, focused.  
So he tried again.

"I enjoyed writing them." A pause. "You really do inspire me."

He saw no reaction. Not even her usual annoyance when he talked about her as inspiration.

Unsure of what to say to break this wall that she had suddenly erected between them he decided to remain silent for the rest of the journey, he turned his face to the window and stared at the raindrops gliding down the glass.

When the car parked in front of his building and she turned the engine off he moved only to turn to her.

"Would you like to come in? Maybe warm up a little, you're shivering like a leaf?"

"I'll dry off when I'm home" were the first words she spoke since the park.

A loud thunder resonated through the city.

"You really want to drive all the way back across town under that weather?"

"I just want to go home Castle." she snapped, a little too harshly even to her taste "Now if you could just get out of my car, I could get going."

Her cold, distant words were enough to push him out of the car. Bracing himself he opened the door and got out. But before closing it he turned around and peaked his head back in.

"It could be us you know. If you let it."

And he shut the door before running to the front door of his building.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I should probably have said this in the first chapter, but obviously the rating wasn't for that one... it's for this second one right here. So, beware.**

**Thank you for the wonderfully kind comments about this "little" OS. I hope the second chapter won't disappoint. Enjoy and...review? ^^**

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**Chapter 2**

Just as he was about to step under the warm water spilling out of the tap he heard the door buzz.

He only wondered for a second who it could be before deciding he knew exactly who was on the other side of that door.

He turned the taps off, looking at the dying water longingly. He put his sweat pants on and a large sweater to cover his cold, still damp chest. He was about to exit the bathroom but doubled back, grabbed a towel and headed towards the front door.

He was surprised when he opened the door and no one was there. He peaked his head out to see her turn back around from the elevator. She was dripping wet, holding his equally dripping wet coat in one hand.

She looked surprised that he'd answered the door, like she wasn't expecting him to, or had hoped he wouldn't.

"I...hmm..." she showed him the coat "You forgot your coat"

He smiled, as warmly as he could manage after her last words to him. He'd been hurt, but he had to swallow his pride and make that extra effort if he wanted to get her back.

"I'll trade you for a big, fluffy, _dry_ towel" he said charmingly, showing her said towel.

She gave herself the once over. A dry towel did sound nice right about now. But then there was also this thing about her being mad at him for something... Although seeing him in sweaters with wet hair and bare feet had made her forget what.

She stepped closer to him and they traded towel for coat.

She immediately pressed the towel around her hair, absorbing as much of the water as she could. When she then placed it on her shoulders it made her shiver intensely. Pressing her soaked clothes onto her body wasn't the best idea.

Castle didn't miss her shudder. Then again, it _was_ hard to miss it, she wasn't just shivering slightly anymore she was downright trembling.

"Kate, please come in. You're a..." he bit his lip, realizing the word he was about to say may not have been very welcome at the moment, but decided to go for it anyway "... well you're a mess quite frankly."

She shot him a look that, hadn't she looked so terribly fragile at the moment, could have been scary.

"A beautiful mess?" he tried sheepishly.

Her eyes narrowed some more, but she still couldn't manage to look threatening to him. Her heart just wasn't in it.

Giving up the fight raging inside of her she stepped into his apartment. She waited for him to close the door and during those few seconds a little pool of water was already forming at her feet.

She stared at it in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry" she breathed.

He smiled and pointed to another small pool of water a few feet away from them.

"It's ok. As you can see it's not the first one. Just..."

"No. I'm _sorry_ Castle," she repeated.

He stepped around and faced her. He dropped the coat on the floor, not caring the least about the huge pool of water it created. He placed one hand under her chin, praying to god she would let him.

When he found no resistance he forced her chin up and captured her eyes into his. And then he saw it. He saw that change again. He saw her eyes soften, grow a lighter shade of green, he saw her features relax.

"You don't have to apologize Kate."

She tilted her head slightly, allowing his palm to partly rest on her cheek. He knew any other day, any other time he should have pulled away but right here, right now, it seemed his touch was welcome, yearned for even.

"I was unkind though..."

He let his thumb brush against her skin and could have sworn he felt her press deeper into his touch.

"You were... a little bit harsh, yes." he replied with a reassuring smile "But... I have my own share of blame here."

"I don't..."

"You want to know the truth?" He interrupted her.

He swallowed hard, realizing he was either going to get killed for his next words or... well he didn't really know how else she would react.

"The truth is they're not just characters Kate. Nikki and James, they don't come out of my imagination... They come out of my dreams. When I write about Nikki Heat, I have you in mind, with every single word I type in. In my mind, you _are_ Nikki. You're certainly every bit as formidable, and then some."

He hadn't really meant to say that much. But once the first words had been out, the rest had just followed. When he finished his last sentence he just looked her right in the eye, waiting for her reaction. Any reaction really. His hand was still in its place, on her cheek. It felt right there, his thumb idly caressing her. She didn't move away, or break his wrist, that in itself was an achievement.

But she seemed stunned in silence and motionless. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw a flicker in her eyes, like a little light that had been sparked off, making her eyes shine more than he thought possible. Or maybe he was just imagining it.

Under his hand he felt shivers, lots of them. Although she wouldn't show it, he realized she was absolutely freezing.

"You're cold aren't you?"

"I'm ok" she managed to get out, although she sounded as convincing as a murderer standing above a dead body with a bloody knife swearing he was innocent.

"Right." he conceded while wrapping an arm around her shoulder and forcing her forward into the living-room.

When he took a first step he felt her reluctance as her body stiffened and she seemed to refuse to budge for a moment. But upon his second step she let go and he guided her to his bathroom.

"Tell you what. Why don't you go in and take a nice _hot_ shower. I'll go find you some dry clothes that fit and make you some hot coffee. How's that?"

She eyed the large, welcoming shower longingly and noticed the rain running down the windows with the corner of an eye; she turned her attention back to Castle.

"I like the rain."

Sometimes she could open up at the strangest of times. He liked that about her.

"When I was little... My mother took me to the park. We played around for hours, chasing each other, climbing in the trees... Until a storm broke out. People started getting up, gathering their things and running back to their cars. But not my mom. We were seating in the grass. She pulled me into her arms and closed her eyes. I did the same."

And as she told her story, she did just that; closed her eyes. A smile appeared on her face as she obviously recalled the memory.

"And then she whispered in my ear: 'You know Katie, when it rains, it means that the people you love, people who may no longer be with you, are showering you with their love from above.'"

She said no more. Her eyes still closed, her lips turned up in a smile.

Castle didn't know why but at this very moment he forgot his place, he forgot who they were and what they were not and he leaned forward, dropping a kiss on her forehead.  
She opened her eyes upon contact, surprise clearly visible in them.  
When he realized what he'd done, it was too late to take it back. He leaned back up and braced himself for what was sure to come, already thinking up a series of words to beg for forgiveness.  
In fact he was about to start apologizing when she got up on her toes and placed a chaste kiss on his parted lips.

The feel of their lips touching sent a shock-wave through his body.

"Thank you" she breathed onto his lips.

In hindsight, Castle would later think that what he did that day was reckless and quite suicidal. But in that particular moment he had lost all ability to think or to care for his life.

As she was about to step into the bathroom he grabbed her wrist and held her back. She looked down at her wrist and then up at his face. He didn't give time to his brain to process what he was about to do and simply leaned forward pressing his lips against hers.

After a second that seemed like an eternity to him, she let out a satisfied moaned and parted her lips inviting him in. He obliged and let his tongue explore her lips and her mouth in a kiss that grew deeper and deeper, sparking little fires all over his body, particularly down south.

He lifted one hand to her face and threaded his fingers through her damp hair. Pulling her closer into him. Her own arms reached around his waist and, placing both hands on his lower back she pushed him into her body.  
He took a step forward and another, pushing her back against the frame of the door. She let out a small gasp when her back hit the wall behind her.  
He put a hand on her hip, their mouths never breaking contact, alternating from soft brushing of lips to passionate kisses. His other hand glided from her hair to her neck, over her shoulder and down her side.  
He felt her shudder under his touch but he knew it came more from the cold of her wet clothes sticking to her body than from his touch, although he had cause to wonder.

Her hands slipped under his sweater and she slid them across his back, pressing him ever closer, while she wrapped one leg behind him, trapping him against her.  
She immediately felt his reaction against her lower abdomen and moaned in his mouth at the feel of him against her body.

Clothes, they both decided, were becoming an issue.

He slipped a hand between their bodies, reaching for the buttons of her soaked blouse. But as the water made them slippery he grew impatient and with his second hand ripped them apart. He let the fabric fall with a splash on the floor.  
For her part she had quickly grabbed the rim of his sweater and had pulled it off in one swift motion revealing his well-built torso.

He placed one hand back on her hip and with the other he caressed her shoulder, tracing a path along her collarbone and between her breasts, down to her bellybutton. He saw goosebumps form on her skin.  
He realized she was still very cold, despite his best efforts and hers not to let it show.

Seeing her so frail slowed down his passion... He wanted her in a bad way but he also wanted to protect her from everything and anything. And it started with making sure she wasn't freezing to death.

He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms strongly around her back.

"Come here," he whispered into her ear as she rested her head on his chest.

With one hand he unhooked her bra and she let go of her embrace of him a brief second to let the bra fall on the floor before putting her arms around him again.

"How cold are you right now?" he asked still whispering, afraid raising his voice would break the moment.

She gave him a little squeeze to bring him impossibly closer, as if she wanted their two bodies to merge into one and he felt her lips form a smile into his skin.

"Warming up," she replied with a deep, low voice. The feel of her breath on his bare chest definitely warmed _him_ up. And when her hot lips came in contact with his throat he closed his eyes and pressed his hands on her back.

Her mouth trailed on his neck, sometimes letting her tongue come out to play, until she found his ear.

"Take me to bed," she breathed hoarsely.

Those four small words undid him and killed his will to take anything slow.

He put both his hands around her face and brought it up to his, crashing his lips onto hers in a desperate, needy, breathtaking kiss. Their tongues met and fought and tasted.

While one hand slid to her back, the other caressed her bare chest until it found the buttons of her pants. As he unbuttoned and unzipped the piece of clothing he started taking steps forward, guiding her backwards into a corridor.  
She kicked her pumps off of her feet and he pushed down her pants. Her hands found his own sweat pants and they soon ended in a pile in the corridor leading to the bedroom.  
He continued pushing her back into the room, mouths locked, tongues playing, hands roaming on newly exposed skin.

Forgotten was the rain and the cold, replaced by a fever and a scorching heat emanating from both their bodies.

He gently pressed her against the edge of the bed, forcing her to lie down and following her down.

Supporting part of his weight on one hand, he placed the other on her burning hot cheek.

He took a moment to admire her; there was a side of Kate Beckett he had never seen before, only fantasized about many times before. But even his wildest dreams hadn't come anywhere close to the regal that was Katherine's body. Her eyes had turned a dark shade of green, filled with lust and need, her breathing was ragged, her lips swollen, her hair a tangled, damp mess, her cheeks a new shade of pink he'd never seen. She was breathtaking.

As his hand slid down to her throat, she tilted her head back, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip like she did so well. He let his hand continue its path further down her chest.  
She took a sharp breath accompanied with a moan when his hand found her breasts and stopped there for a while.  
Her own hands started tracing patterns on his back, her nails digging into his flesh, increasing his pleasure with each touch.

"Rick," she drawled between her clenched teeth.

He decided right there and then that he never wanted to hear his name called any other way than how she just did.

Her hands had moved to his hips, pressing him onto her, giving clear meaning – in case it was necessary – to her words.

His hand left her breast and drifted over her stomach, on her hips and down her leg, when he couldn't reach any further down he slid it back up and her leg followed the movement as she brought it up.

There was so much he wanted to do, so many places he wanted to touch, to see, to taste...  
But as she arched her back, bringing herself to him, he decided there would be plenty of time for slow, detailed explorations some other time. Right now, he wanted, he needed to please her and to feel her around him.

He placed himself right at her entrance and brought his hand back to her face.

"Kate?" he called her with a hoarse voice.

She opened her eyes and, to him, the answer to his unspoken question was right there in her darkened eyes. So, as he plunged his blue eyes into her green, he plunged his body into her, merging with her, filling her completely, getting as close to her as humanly possible.

Outside, lightning lit the sky.  
Wave after wave of rain kept crashing on the windows of the new-york loft, dripping down the window glass.  
A loud thunder shook the room.  
And then the rain slowed down, the storm slowly moving away, leaving behind a light, soothing drizzle.


End file.
